Monday, August 13, 2012

Thank goodness I didn't make myself a widow!

Okay, so we are back from the crick and I would have wrote written about this yesterday but I was a little too shaken and Kx was even more so....

We went to lunch yesterday at a restaurant that sits on the creek.  We decided to take the boat.

Now, keep in mind that I'm no expert at driving a boat.  In fact, I learned from my other half how to drive a boat as I had only steer from the lap of my dad when I was a little girl.

The boat in question, I was always reluctant to be at the helm because for one, it's an expensive boat, and two...   well, it's longer and heavier than the boat that I used to drive and three, it's not exactly our boat, but rather Kx's father's boat that we are allowed to use at our leisure..

Lately, I've been wanting to drive the boat more, which means I have to learn how to pull it into the slip so that we can dock it.  This of course is a useful skill in case something happens and I have to drive us back in from a fishing trip because Kx is for some reason unable to do so.

So yesterday, we go to the restaurant and I'm pulling into the slip.  Kx is barking his usual commands... REVERSE... REVERSE...  STRAIGHTEN YOUR WHEEL....   FORWARD.. REVERSE REVERSE!!

Meanwhile, I'm trying to avoid an obstruction in the water AND I notice the starboard (right side of the boat for you land lovers) stern (back of the boat) are about to be under the pier.  I was in neutral but didn't want to let go of the wheel (my mistake, its okay to leave the helm when you are in neutral) but my arm caught on the throttle and I ended up giving it a lot of gas.

The sudden motion caught Kx by surprise and almost dumped him into the creek between the boat and the pier, which I rammed in to.  Had he gone overboard, I would have crushed him.........  

Once everyone calmed down, and the better part of my ass grew back from the chewing that it got from Kx, it was fine.  It was a close call and a lesson very well learned.

Good news is that he let me drive home and pull the boat in the slip at the house, which wasn't exactly pretty but I got the job done without hitting anything which is an improvement!

In two weeks, we go back......   docking drills are a MUST.......  

7 comments:

  1. Practice pulling up to a buoy or a single post in the water, so that you get the feel of putting the boat exactly where you want it, without the risk of mashing it into the pier and breaking expensive things.

    It also lets the person barking orders relax a bit, because you won't be knocking them nearly overboard.

    Enjoy the practice!

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  2. On the up side - this is the kind of lesson which you never, ever forget!

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  3. Could have been worse, could have been better, bottom line you learned a great lesson in boating that will make you a better boater.

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  4. As a boat owner I am familiar with your anxiety and I am very happy to hear that everyone is OK! As with anything, car, boat, pistols... Practice makes perfect.
    Coop

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  5. Thankfully no-one got hurt. Practice makes perfect :)

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  6. Obviously more boat control laws are needed. No. We need more dock control laws. The dock is a much more inanimate object than the boat.
    If only that dock hadn't been available. This never would have happened!

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